The Saber-Tooth Curriculum

J. Abner Peddiwell's "The Saber-Tooth Curriculum"

• New-Fist Hammer-Maker, or New-Fist, was the first educational theorist and practitioner.
• New-Fist gained prestige for creating a superior version of the coup-de-poing, or fist hammer.
• New-Fist's characteristics included knowing what needed to be done, having energy, and possessing the will to do it; these traits made him an educated man.
• He engaged in thinking, unlike his fellows, which led him to being dissatisfied with the tribe's ways and seeking improvements, ultimately making him a dangerous man.

New-Fist's Educational System

• New-Fist developed a conscious, systematic education after observing children's purposeless play.
• New-Fist wanted to guide children towards activities that would improve their food, shelter, clothing, and security.
• New-Fist established an educational goal to determine what the tribesmen needed to know for comfortable, safe lives.
• The first curriculum consisted of:
  • Fish-grabbing-with-the-bare-hands
  • Woolly-horse-clubbing
  • Saber-tooth-tiger-scaring-with-fire

Curriculum Implementation and Success

• New-Fist involved his children in his activities, allowing them to practice the curriculum's subjects.
• Education was successful, with children learning skills and gaining an advantage over uneducated peers.
• The tribe accepted the education of fish-grabbing, horse-clubbing, and tiger-scaring as vital learning.

Resistance and Justification

• Conservative tribe members opposed the new educational system on religious grounds relating to the Great Mystery.
• They believed the Great Mystery would have directly instilled necessary skills if intended.
• New-Fist countered by arguing the Great Mystery ordered the work and operated through the children's desire to learn.
• He also argued for the progress of Paleolithic culture from changes in human nature.
• He assured the tribe that their patriotism would encourage their support for the Paleolithic education system.
• The community embraced fish-grabbing, horse-clubbing, and tiger-scaring as the heart of a good education.

Environmental Changes and Curriculum Failure

• An approaching ice age caused significant changes.
• A glacier made the stream muddy, preventing bare-handed fishing.
• Fish became more intelligent and agile, evading capture.
• The ground became marshy, causing woolly horses to migrate, replaced by speedy antelopes that were difficult to club.
• Saber-tooth tigers succumbed to pneumonia due to the dampness, leaving none to scare.
• Ferocious glacial bears, unafraid of fire, emerged with the advancing ice sheet.

Adaptation and Innovation

• The community faced a difficult situation with no food, clothing (hides), or security.
• A tribesman invented a net to catch fish in muddy water.
• Another tribesman created snares for the elusive antelopes.
• A third tribesman devised a pit trap for the bears.
• The tribe adapted by creating nets, setting snares, and digging pits, leading to prosperity.

Criticism and Defense of the Traditional Curriculum

• Some tribe members questioned why net-making, snare-setting, and pit-digging were not taught in school.
• The majority dismissed these suggestions, arguing that such practical activities were not education.
• The "radicals" continued questioning, pointing out the intelligence and skills involved in these activities.
• The wise old men insisted that these activities would be mere training and that the traditional curriculum was already too crowded.
• They argued that the fundamentals needed to be taught more thoroughly.
• The radicals asked why the point of doing these useless activities since they couldn't be done anymore,
• The wise old men stated that they were not for the tasks, but to teach skills and courage that can be applied in all aspects of life.

The Nature of True Education

• When one of the radicals pointed out that times had changed,
• The wise old men responded that true education is timeless.
• Because it stays true through changes like a solid rock.
• Stating that the saber-tooth curriculum is one of these.